Book review: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars #1) - Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

From Rob Thomas, the creator of groundbreaking television series and movie Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling new mystery series.

Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She's traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.
Now it's spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is not a simple missing person's case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica's past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined. 

My opinion.

I'm a huge Veronica Mars fan. There, I said it. I was incredibly sad when the show ended, ecstatic when the movie came out and now oh-so-relieved that this book didn't disappoint.

It's everything you would expect from a Veronica Mars case. It has so many unexpected twists and turns, but more importantly: it has Veronica Mars. I mean, how fantastic is she? Maybe Kristen Bell gives the on-screen Veronica that little extra "va va voom", but there really was no awkward transition from page to screen.

The story kicks off right where the movie left off. Veronica is back in Neptune at Mars Investigations. And let's face it, that's where we love her the most. She's clever, determined and a little reckless (as usual, right?), with Mac, Wallace and of course Keith loyally by her side. [Spoiler alert if you haven't seen the movie yet] Of course Logan is on a mission abroad so he's not really in the picture, but it still makes me really happy knowing they found each other again. Lucky for us, Marshmallow fans, this is the first book in a series, so I got my fingers crossed we'll see more of Logan in the following books.

So we're back in Neptune in time for spring break. The entire town is filled with (mostly drunk) college students having "the time of their lives". Even the report of a missing girl can't stop the partying. That's until Veronica Mars is hired for the job. She immediately sinks her teeth in and even a corrupt, lazy sheriff can't stop her (although let's face it, has a Lamb brother ever succeeded in 'keeping V. in check'?). The story is fast paced and keeps surprising you. It keeps you guessing (although V. is of course always a few steps ahead of you when things heat up), and reminiscing about Veronica's high school days. 

I can't tell you enough how amazingly happy I am to have another chapter in the "Veronica Mars story". I cannot wait to read the second book (really, if I had a copy I would start reading right away), and hopefully Rob writes many more of these.

Absolutely brilliant!

 

Find out how I liked the book (series) in comparison to the tv-series and movie here.